Stock content service Storyblocks evolves with new partner program

Storyblocks, the subscription-based stock audio, imagery and video service formerly known as Videoblocks, today announced the launch of its new Member Library Partner Program. The company has also shuttered its pay-per-download marketplace and is now fully invested in its all-inclusive subscription program.

The reason for this move, the company says, it to better align its offerings with the needs of both its subscribers and contributors. The company also says that less than 5% of its members ever purchased anything from the old marketplace.

With the new program, subscribers get access to a wide range of royalty-free stock imagery without restrictions. That, of course, is not all that different from how the company’s program worked before. Unlimited access to the company’s video library starts at $39/month (though you get a 50% discount if you pre-pay for a year). At that price, the service is clearly going after YouTubers and others who need regular access to stock video. Access to its audio and image library is significantly cheaper.

Contributors get paid for every download, sharing in the pool of total revenue Storyblocks gains from its subscribers, and the service provides them with detailed analytics about how their content performs on the platform.

“For contributors, the Partner Program is uniquely designed to prioritize sustainable revenue growth alongside subscription growth: as the market grows, contributor earnings grow,” the company explains.

For now, the company will work with a targeted group of contributors to build the library and will add additional contributors over time. The company argues that this new program will triple contributors’ earnings, but that obviously remains to be seen.

“The Member Library Partner Program puts us in the unique position to provide diverse, high-quality stock media that the mass creative class demands while providing an earnings boost for our contributor community, and allowing them to better share in our success over the long run,” said Storyblocks CEO TJ Leonard. “We believe you cannot pivot an old approach to meet the needs of a new audience, and so we have created a fresh approach to stock media access that reflects the freedom, flexibility and choice required by today’s digital storytellers.”